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Family
Court Services Unit
The
Family Court Services Unit was developed to assist judges
and general magistrates with some of the
Court's most difficult family cases, reducing case delays
while tending to the unique needs of divorcing parents and
their children. Through short-term interventions and
services that focus upon solutions rather than conflicts,
Family Court Services staff members help parents reach understandings
and resolve issues together. They act as the eyes and ears
of the court, reporting to the judiciary on findings and recommendations
and providing written agreements which outline parties' commitment
to resolve specific family problems.
Support
to families is provided with particular sensitivity to the
needs of children. Click
here to view some very special drawings,
which remind us that parents get divorced from each other,
not from their children. [Compiled from Family Court Services'
support group sessions for children of divorcing parents.]
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
Family
Court Services Unit
What
assistance is provided by the Family Court Services Unit?
The
following court-ordered services/interventions are provided
by the Family Court Services Unit:
Crisis Assistance |
Provide Rapid, transitory response when the judiciary finds that an issue
requires urgent attention such as when imminent danger to parent or child might
exist |
Alienation/
Reunification |
Explore and assist with parental alienation and/or feelings of estrangement
experienced by a child toward a parent while attempting to reestablish the
relationship |
Child/Family
Assistance |
Assistance with issues immediately affecting the welfare of the children
through interviews with family members and through observations of their
relationship with each other |
Co-parenting |
Short term parenting coordination and re-education that emphasizes
improvement of joint parenting skills and communication; referrals to community
agencies/professionals for counseling may be provided. |
Marital
Reconciliation |
Assists parents in clarifying parties’ motivation to separate/divorce and provides
referral as needed. |
Time-sharing issues/
Schedule |
Addressing the parties' issues regarding the sharing of their child(ren), assisting
parties in the clarification of an existing time-sharing plan and/or the
development of a more meaningful arrangement |
Parenting Coordination
(for indigent) |
Designation of parenting coordinator to assist the parties in the facilitation of
their parenting plan, monitor compliance of court orders, and provide
referrals to community resources as needed (6 meetings per order) |
Supervised Visitation/
Monitored Exchanges |
Observation of and/or assistance in optimal time between parent/grand-parent
and child in a friendly environment when the physical and/or emotional welfare of the child may be otherwise threatened |
Community Referral |
Assists in the referrals to community agencies and/or private professionals for
counseling, extended co-parenting, parenting classes, psychological/psychiatric evaluations, parenting coordination, and DNA testing |
Social Investigation |
Home Study facilitated(standardized Order for Social Investigation must
accompany referral to FCS) |
Substance Abuse Testing |
The Village is available to administer drug tests and breathalyzer by separate
court order. |
How
can someone access these services?
A
court order is necessary to obtain assistance from the Family
Court Services Unit. Family Court Services participants are
referred to the Unit through the Family Division, Domestic
Violence Division, Unified Family Court, and General Magistrates.
An order of referral must be signed and a copy forwarded to
Family Court Services in order to facilitate the activation
of an office file. The parties are required to contact the
Unit within 5 working days for the provision of initial data
or the court will be noticed of non-compliance.
What are the address,
telephone number and hours of operation?
Family
Court Services operates during normal business hours, 8:00 AM until
5:00 PM, and includes extended hours for Supervised Visitation
on Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:00 AM until 8 PM and Saturdays, 10
AM until 4 PM.
What fees are involved
with the services and who is responsible for payment?
As
of April 1, 2001, $10.00 per hour will be assessed for supervised
visitation and $5.00 per hour for monitored exchanges.
All other in-house services are free of charge. However, there
may be fees for services referred outside of the Unit. The Court
decides which party is responsible for payment.
I
have been court-ordered to the Family Court Services Unit.
Are they
responsible for scheduling hearings in my case with the Judge or
General Magistrate?
No.
All parties need to request hearings through their attorneys or,
if they are not represented by an attorney, through the
Family Court Self-Help Divorce Program.
I
have a case in Family Court. Whom do I call if I have questions?
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For
general case information, please contact the Clerk's Office
at (305) 275-1155.
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If
you are not represented by an attorney and are filing a divorce
action, name change, paternity,
child custody or post-judgment modification case, Click
Here to learn more about the Family
Court Self Help
Divorce Program.
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If
you have been court-ordered by a Judge or General Magistrate
to the Family Court Services Unit for any of the Services
and Interventions listed above, you may contact
them at (305) 349-5508.
Who
do I call if I am a person with a disability who needs assistance?
Please
contact the Miami-Dade Courts' ADA
Coordinator, at:
| Voice
Mail: |
(305)
349-7175 |
| TDD: |
(305)
349-7174 |
| Fax
No:. |
(305)
349-7355 |
| Email:. |
ADA@jud11.flcourts.org |
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